Double Trouble
by Noella50881
Summary: What will happen when Danielle Evans meets Swindle?
1. Chapter 1: Preston Burns

Author's Note: Bear with me, I'll try to come back. I may start off a new chapter to a new story, so stand by. So lets see what I come up with...tonight. Even if it's late at night, I've started to write something. It's a real story too.

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Preston Burns, aka Swindle, was doing some scouting mission. He was to pick up a stupid little fleshing named Dani. She was always around Pierce and this other Bot. But if Swindle could interest Dani, he could lure her with sweets, puppy dogs, and whatever he wished for. Dani exited a large building with Pierce trailing behind her. Swindle mused how much the two were always together.

Dani looked around for her guardian, but he hadn't come back yet from his patrol which left her to be with Barricade. Dani didn't like it when Pierce had to sit in the back and she in the front. Dani gave an excuse that she would wait for a guardian to come get her and she wanted to go to an after school club. Dani watched Barricade and Pierce leave.

Dani smiled to herself when she saw that they didn't catch her lie. She went back into the building for a few minutes and returned to the parent pick up. Prowl was running late and she saw a lone Chevrolet car. It looked nice and she ventured slowly to it. She did her usual arm flap when she was stressed. It wasn't usual to see a lone Cobalt sitting around unless it belonged to a teacher. It was new. Dani didn't like changes and she even went as much to examine the car.

It had a strange insignia and she thought nothing of it. "Hmm. What is this? It looks like Barricade's insignia. Hello? Are you like Barricade?"

Swindle couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "Why yes. I'm here to pick you up. Why don't you hop in?" Swindle opened his passenger door invitingly.

Dani looked around and walked over to the passenger side and looked inside. "Nice! So who are you?" Dani was ignoring the warning signs of her instincts. They were telling her to flee, but she believed all cybertronians were nice.

"I'm Preston Burns." Swindle announced. "May I interest in you in some chips?"

Dani looked at the offering of food. It would be nice to eat some junk food, but Ratchet forbid her to eat that greasy stuff. She knew he wouldn't say anything if he didn't know. Dani reached out for the chips.

"Oh...come in and take a load off."

"I don't like car rides."

"I won't bite. I'll be gentle as an Autobot."

Dani stopped and backed away. "Aren't all Autobots nice and gentle?" She asked.

"Well, of course. I have chocolate too."

Dani hesitated and then heard a revving of an engine. She turned to look and saw Ironhide barreling down the road, towards him. Swindle took off and Ironhide grumbled as Swindle turned the curve and left. Ironhide pulled up to him and rumbled. "Danielle Evans! What did Optimus say about talking to strangers? Get in!"

Dani seemed to feel a bit nervous and tried not to arm flap. They didn't like it when she arm flapped as that meant she was too stressed. Sometimes, sending Ironhide seemed to alleviate more fear. But Dani was well aware that Ironhide wasn't a gruff weapons' specialist. He had a special spot for the youngling. Dani looked down to think and collect herself. "I remember not to talk to him, but he was so nice and friendly. I thought he was one of you." Dani climbed into his passenger seat and closed the door. "I wasn't gonna go into his car."

Ironhide wasn't impressed. "Should I tell you what I told Pierce? I do not believe you. You are lying and we do not take kindly to lying, youngling. You were."

"I was not!" Dani argued. "He has candy, chips, and drinks!"

"That does not mean a thing! That could be laced with drugs and other things to make you go to sleep. Now do want to argue further, youngling, or should I swat you? You aren't that old enough not to. One more word."

Dani quieted as she hadn't ever been swatted before, especially from Ironhide. He was clearly disappointed in her and she couldn't wait to go to her room. She would even run to Pierce and Barricade. Dani never had been warned and she was a little nervous. She didn't want to rock back and forth or arm flap for being frustrated. She was getting close to trying to go back into the comfort of her own shell. Other thoughts occurred to her that they were getting tired of her. Why? She didn't know and kept her still silence.

Ironhide drove to the base and into Prowl's apartment. Dani wordlessly got out of his cab and ran directly for her room. What she did was totally unexpected. She slammed her door closed and then locked it.

Prowl noticed it and shook his helm. "Let me guess? You threatened her! How could you?" Prowl asked, narrowing his optics. "Ironhide, she trusts you. What on Earth were you thinking?"

Ironhide shook his helm. "I got mad. She doesn't listen to you or me. Optimus is way too busy right now to deal with her behavior. I dealt with it by telling her if she keeps this up, a swift swat will change that."

"You don't threaten swats to her! You must really need a day off. Go for a drive, shoot off your weapons. Do something productive. Leave my charge out of your anger. I was busy with reports and to see her slam her door is unnerving because she'll not come out for the rest of the evening."

"Fine. Don't be late next time she needs to be picked up." Ironhide rumbled.

"What has gotten into you?" Prowl asked. "Go find Chromia. Maybe she'll help you out with some of your anger."

Ironhide vented and left his apartment.

Prowl looked at the closed door to Dani's room. How was he going to get her out?

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	2. Chapter 2: Dani's Grounded

Chapter Two

Prowl hadn't expected Dani to emerge from her room. Her eyes were red from crying. The Protectobot hadn't expected her to come to him, but she had recognized him as a guardian she could trust. Trust didn't come too easily for Dani. Dani looked up at him and asked, "I want to talk about what happened after school."

Prowl wasn't expecting that either.

"I received a report from Ironhide. But what is your take on it, Dani?"

Dani thought of his question and she knew she needed to answer him truthfully. "His name was Preston Burns or something like that. He said he had chips, candy, and stuff to drink. I politely refused his offers. I didn't have any chance to run back into the school before Ironhide came to pick me up. Ironhide scared him off." She said hoping that he'd be understanding.

"I see. But we did tell you not to talk to strangers." Prowl said. "For that, you must be punished. I will be lenient because you admitted your mistake. Two weeks grounding should suffice and I think you should also have another lesson on strangers again."

Dani didn't mind getting lessons, but to have them being repeated for every single time, was tiring. She protested, "But Prowl! I'm really sorry."

Prowl glanced down at her, shocked at her protest. "Danielle Evans. I believe you will benefit from this and this is a reminder. You don't talk to strangers at all. How do you know if this Preston Burns isn't a Decepticon? If they catch you, Dani, they will use you and you will perish. I do not want that to happen to you or Pierce. Barricade has proven to us that he has changed sides, but other Decepticons do not necessarily share the same views as Barricade. Remember, you're still learning." Prowl could go on, but he was aware that her attention span was starting to become distracted. "Do you want to know what the Decepticons are capable of, go see Barricade. Learn from him."

"How do you know if Preston Burns was a Decepticon?" Dani found herself asking him and leaving for her room. It indicated she was either being smart or had learned something.

"Are you being smart with me, Danielle? Because if you are, you're grounded for three weeks with no TV."

Dani didn't listen as she closed the door and rolled her eyes at him behind the closed door. She was tired of them treating her like a stupid child. She wasn't a child.

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Prowl walked into his office and comm'd Optimus Prime and Ratchet regarding the youngling's actions. Prime's response was to give her some space and time. Ratchet's was from a medical standpoint of stand aside and let her learn from her own mistakes first. Both of his friends were understanding, but Prowl's programming and logic told him she was illogical. Well, humans were illogical. Dani thought differently than her peers. Things had to be done differently for her. Perhaps his lessons were too slow. Prowl decided to do something the next day. It would probably be a field trip, but not to the jail to teach her.

"Optimus and Ratchet. I was thinking perhaps tomorrow, I'll take Dani on a trip in my cruiser. She may need some 'time' away from familiarity and the order of schooling. She will attend a lesson with me tomorrow, all day."

"I am sure that's a wise decision. Where are you going to take her?"

"I haven't decided yet. We'll see how the day unfolds tomorrow, Optimus."

"You do what you have to do," Ratchet replied.

Soon, they ended their meeting and resumed the rest of their evening off to tend to either patients, duties, and his duty was to mentor and teach Dani. His protection in all actuality. 

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What an interesting chapter. Seems rushed, but that's ok.

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